Public relations can feel like this elusive and unreachable thing for authors. How exactly does an author get the attention of the media in a meaningful way? The old days of PR were all about press releases and having a contact list with editors in your back pocket. Even more recently it became the ability to gain the eye of an influencer. While there is still a place for that (and professional publicists), PR pros and authors going at it solo know they need something special to be featured. The market is bigger than ever, attention spans are shorter than ever and there is no shortage of people pitching.
Fortunately, the thing you need most to get the media’s attention is something you’re already good at: story.
That’s all media coverage is afterall. Telling a great, timely story. It’s not always easy to see the story that needs to be told when it’s about you though, so let us walk you through it!
Is there a story about your story?
Unfortunately, a snappy synopsis just isn’t enough to catch a every book editor’s eye. Don’t get me wrong, we all love a solid hook and sometimes that is enough, but more often than not, book editors are being pitched dozens if not hundreds of books a week. It’s. A. Lot.
So you have to go beyond your story to the story behind it.
One of the best examples of this is Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. The book itself is about a woman who assumes a woman of color’s identity and tries to pass herself off as a more successful author than she actually is.
While yes, that hook is really good, what’s even better is Kuang’s motive behind it. She has touted this book as an exposé on the publishing industry and that caught some eyes. People were dying to get the inside dirt on publishing, the role race plays and how authors are treated and Kuang did not disappoint.
That is the story behind the story.
So what does your book do that’s similar? Are you highlighting a major social issue? Exposing an industry? Rewriting history? And why are you doing that?
Lead with that tidbit, then share your synopsis.
Can you become the story?
While most authors are desperate to stay out of the limelight, those who step into it tend to find success because there are so many introverts in this space.
A prime example is Jeneva Rose. She is a thriller author who (admittedly) had some fairly significant bestseller stats before she became TikTok famous, but social media has only skyrocketed her.
When a particularly cantankerous reviewer named Scott decided to email her personally about how he didn’t like her book, she made a hilarious response video that has become synonymous with her brand. Now bookstores share tables of her books suggesting that all “Scott’s” steer clear. It has almost become bigger than her books. But highlighting that one terrible author moment has spiraled into exposure she couldn’t have paid for.
Furthermore, her husband Drew (AKA the past tense of Draw) has become TikTok famous as well and the day in, day out of their life has turned into merch, content and packed the house at her book events.
Is your book’s subject newsworthy?
Whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction, ultimately you’ll do well to remind yourself that media outlets are about the news. And if you can find an intersection between your book and timely events, you’ve got PR gold on your hands.
In 2023, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah released Chain-Gang All-Stars. This book took aim at the American prison system and also followed neatly on the heels of Netflix’s smash hit, Squidgame.
Adjei-Brenyah hit on a timely topic within his fictional world that had top news outlets desperate to talk:
“Chain-Gang All-Stars Is GladiatorMeets the American Prison System” – The Atlantic
“‘Chain-Gang All-Stars’ Is a Searing Indictment of the Prison Industrial Complex” – Shondaland
“In ‘Chain-Gang All-Stars,’ prison fights have corporate sponsors” – The Washington Post
If your book has some sort of tie to an issue already circulating in the news, help editors see that connection. Don’t assume they will see it for themselves. Pitch your book as the story that brings [timely topic] to the forefront. Odds are your research and your perspective are enough to qualify you as an expert.
Milestones, Virality, and Data
Everyone wants to be “in the know.” It sounds trite, but the media likes to be in allegiance with what’s trending. That being said there are so many things trending at once, they can’t possibly be aware of everything all at once.
If you have earned a bestseller tag, gone viral or have some other data-based stat that sets you apart from the crowd, tell the press!
Lloyd Devereux Richards published a book over a decade ago. It was relatively unknown and yet, he continued to work on a sequel. His daughter happened to shoot a brief video of him working hard, noting her admiration of him and it went MEGA VIRAL. It got millions upon millions of views and skyrocketed his book to a bestseller.
You know what else it did?
Landed him on The Today Show.
Things that happen on social media are becoming the news. So if you had a video that went viral or a flood of attention from other media outlets, share that in your pitch.
Make It Easy on The Editor
If you’re just getting started out and struggling to get coverage, understand that the best thing you can do is make things easy on an editor. Give them as much lead time as you possibly can. Tell them what your story is by leading with the absolutely MOST newsworthy elements of your book.
Then, offer to write the piece. Or be interviewed. Or guest post. Or produce a video for their social media. Or appear on their podcast. Odds are that most editors have a fairly set calendar and to get included in a piece means you have to make it as smooth as possible for them.
Too often publicity is hidden in all this mysterious language, but what it really is is the art of delivering the most enticing story to the most appropriately matched outlet. You may have to change how you pitch yourself depending on where you’re seeking coverage. The more personalized you can get, the better. Don’t be afraid to do a little digging and appeal to the human on the other end of your email.
Don’t Be Picky About Platform
Sure, everyone wants to land on Good Morning America or NYT Books, but those aren’t the only places where books are featured. They may not even be the best. Is an author with a large platform willing to host a live interview with you on their social media platform? Is there a niche podcast that your content would fit perfectly into? Are you willing to create a 90 second reel to share on someone else’s Instagram? Get creative (and stay flexible) about not only how you want to be featured, but where.
You’re a storyteller. So get out there and tell your story!
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